Recipe: Slow-Cooker Ham Bone Soup

For winter gatherings like weekend game-watches and tailgate parties, or holiday cookie exchanges, it’s always a saving grace to have something that can stay bubbling and warm in a slow cooker all afternoon without any hands-on reheating. And although this classic comfort dish was born of waste-not-want-not frugality — eking out every last bit of flavor from a leftover ham bone — the soup is so soul-warming and crowd-pleasing that it deserves a star turn.

Make the soup the night before you plan to serve it, and let the slow cooker keep everything in one container. Bring along a loaf of crusty bread or let the soup stand on its own. If you don’t have a ham bone on hand, ask your butcher: they often have a few available in the freezer or can substitute a smoked ham shank in its place.